We spent two wonderful days on Mackinaw Island, much of it at the Grand Hotel. This was followed by a drive to Bay City and a sail to Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron, on a “tall ship” schooner. I will attempt to recapture some of the highlights.
Before ferrying into Macinaw Island, we drove into Charlevoix and Petosky; the latter was the home of Ernest Hemingway. In those areas, as in many, the Victorian homes built in the 1800’s can only be lived in during the summer months. An Association owns the land; only the homes are owned by the resident. Leases are renewed every 15 years. There are strict restrictions in place. Owners are required to keep the homes in top condition. One resident delayed painting the outside of their home, and were subsequently fined $30,000. Stiff price for procrastination! In Charlevoix, we saw these homes built of stone that made you wonder if you were going to see Harry Potter. Strange wavy rooflines, but they were beautiful. Replacing the roof on one of the homes would cost more than replacing the home itself.
There’s lots of history regarding Mackinaw Island; I won’t summarize it here. It’s more fun to share the trivia with you. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the island; the only exception is one ambulance. Transportation is walking, horseback, horse carriage, or bicycles. The 3.8 square mile island is a historic park. The Grand Hotel, where we stayed, imports a number of people on H2B visas to maintain the grounds and wait on the thousands of people that visit each year. One can only imagine the quantity of horse poop that’s cleaned up each day. People are employed as poop scoopers (they were featured on the show “Dirty Jobs”). The horse poop, as well as some food waste, is composted. The Island is immaculate and tightly regulated. All but a very small number of people leave the island by the end of November, not to return until mid-April, due to the heavy snowfall and harsh weather during the winter. The porch is the widest in the world, and the main dining hall is so large to defy adequate description. I will post a link to some more photos when I’m able.
That’s all for now … more coming later!
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